For people with heart disease or at high risk of heart disease, heart attacks are more prevalent during the holiday season, specifically, between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day, than any other time of the year. Learn what you can do to steer clear of ticker trouble as Stony Brook interventional cardiologist Ahmad Alkhalil, MD, offers helpful tips for enjoying a heart healthy holiday.
Filling your holiday with a heart healthy approach can help you and your family continue a healthy lifestyle into the New Year.
Here are some heart healthy habits to incorporate into your holiday tradition:
1. Know Your Limits
Cherished holiday traditions and time with family can also mean stress and anxiety. That feeling of I can’t get it all done! can really take a toll. Stress can cause our heart rate to spike and our heart muscles to contract — raising blood pressure, prompting the production of heart-damaging stress hormones and inflammatory proteins, increasing the risk of heart disease.
- Avoid over-committing. You just can’t be everywhere. It’s okay to say, “No.”
- If you need help, ask for it.
- Take some downtime from the to-do’s. Research suggests that a 10-minute walk may be just as good as a 45-minute workout in relieving anxiety symptoms. Practice deep breathing; give yoga or meditation a try.
2. Downsize Your Plate
When you overindulge, it can overstimulate your central nervous system and promote rapid, irregular heart rhythms. Also, too much salt can lead to high blood pressure and fluid retention — additional risk factors for heart problems.
- Avoid heading for a holiday dinner on a completely empty stomach. To fill up a bit, eat a healthy high-protein snack, such as nonfat yogurt.
- Rein in portions, take smaller bites and chew slowly. Be mindful of what you're eating.
- Choose a smaller plate so it appears full, and you don’t feel deprived.
- Get a jump-start on your New Year’s resolution to shed any unwanted pounds.
3. Get Moving
In addition to relieving anxiety, exercise not only lowers levels of a hormone (ghrelin) that stimulates appetite and raises levels of a hormone (peptide YY) that suppresses appetite, it can also boost your ‘good’ cholesterol, lower your blood pressure, keep your weight down and is a kind of one-stop-shopping for your overall well-being. During the holidays — and, in fact, all year round — aim for 30 minutes a day of brisk movement at least five days a week. Spread out the 30 minutes into more bite-sized 10-minute chunks and still reap the benefits. Be sure to talk with your doctor first if you are starting a new exercise program.
4. “Holiday Heart”
Alcohol can affect your heart health. Drinking too much and/or too quickly can result in an irregular heartbeat. Moderation is key. Binge drinking can produce disturbances in cardiac rhythm, even in people without underlying heart disease. Anyone can be at risk for “holiday heart syndrome,” a term that is applied to an irregular heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation, which is commonly triggered by excessive alcohol intake.
5. Dipping Temps
Low outdoor temperatures can cause blood vessels to constrict. This reduces blood flow and raises your blood pressure, making your heart work harder. This may be especially risky if you’ve already had a heart attack, have heart disease or are older than 65.
- A few thin layers will keep you warmer than one thick layer.
- Keep your head and mouth covered with a scarf/muffler so that warm air hits your lungs first when you breathe in.
- Winter cold increases the risk of dehydration. Drinking plenty of water helps the heart pump blood to the muscles more easily.
6. Keep Your Distance from the Fireplace
Sure there’s nothing quite like a cozy fireplace on a cold night, but according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), especially for individuals already at risk for heart disease, even short-term exposure to the fine particles from the smoke can enter their lungs, increasing inflammation, clotting and abnormal heartbeats and upping the risk for heart attack and stroke. For those at risk, it is important to sit a distance away from a wood burning fireplace to reduce direct exposure.
7. Overexertion
A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found heart-related deaths spiked by 22 percent after a big snow storm. Healthy, active people should have no problem shoveling snow. But many don’t know they have health risks such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol, so everyone should be careful and talk with their doctor.
8. Watch for Warning Signs
Visit or call your doctor right away for any unusual signs and symptoms that may suggest a heart condition. When in doubt, go to the emergency room or call 911 and get it checked out. Don’t delay getting help, even if it’s a holiday.
**And, of course, follow all current CDC Covid safety guidelines.
From our Stony Brook Heart Institute family to yours….Very best wishes for a happy —
and heart healthy holiday!
If you are at risk or if someone in your family has a heart condition, it’s important to schedule a visit with a cardiologist for preventive care. Our cardiologists can help you improve your heart health and/or prevent the progression of cardiovascular disease with a comprehensive heart disease risk assessment and treatment options.
Do something good for your own heart health by taking a free heart health assessment now.